First and foremost I would like to thank my friend, blog colleague and fellow MyIGNer MajesticMaverick for the idea for this cooperative blog project, which is now possible. If you haven’t followed him, follow him now.

This tale is one of challenges, fantasy, might and adventure. We follow the story of a group of dudes who just want to see the world saved.

PROLOGUE

It began, with the forging of the three rings.

Long ago, the Light Ones, beings of divine illumination, created three rings of power, each meant to bring balance to the world. Each one contained immense power, power both good and deadly – the Silver Ring of Tranquility, meant to bring peace; the White Ring of Unity, to guide and spread goodness; and the Red Ring of Destruction, meant to annoy 360 owners, I mean, to end those that threaten the serenity and accord in the world.

The rings were used by the Light Ones to bring the world together, creating harmony and goodness. But as the world grew over the generations, the need for the rings became less, and thus they were destroyed. But for one of the rings, the end was not to come.

Because the Red Ring was the embodiment of destruction, the Light Ones could not permanently destroy it. Their best efforts only managed to split the ring apart, and bury it in the fiery depths of the earth, under the vast land of Myrignor. Hundreds of years passed, and history became legend. Legend became myth, as we all hope SOPA would be, too.

The land of Myrignor.

The red sun rose silently as the shadows crept away, vanquished by the brightness that spread throughout the plains and mountains. And the day began, awakening every living creature from rest – man, dwarf, dragon and all. And as Myrignor’s inhabitants fell loose from the grip of nightly slumber, the fates had begun to weave a destiny – one meant to bring balance to a land robbed of unity.

For you see, Myrignor was unlike any other land – sure, it had its own share of similar problems that plagued Azeroth, Middle-earth and the Rebel Alliance. But in its own way, Myrignor served a prosperous home to many beings – some good, some malignant – and it had a unique harmony which bound everything in the great tapestry of life. Across the great land were the dwelling places of creatures, each minding to their own right, their own way of life, content with the bounties the land offered them.

Until the dark one came.

No, it wasn’t an evil pale nose-less wizard, neither was it an evil cyborg space-wizard – the evil lord Xordek, once a herald of divine illumination, fell prey to the dark lusts that for long were trapped beneath Myrignor. Blinded by his desires, Xordek unleashed the dark forces within, empowering his malice and hatred. And for long he made war with the inhabitants of Myrignor, killing many in his path. An alliance was made between the races of the land, sworn in unity and courage to bring the evil of Xordek down to its knees. They were to be called the “Alliance of Light” – and wage war against the dark armies of the evil lord.

The death and decay raged on for years, until a fabled fellowship, born from the remnants of the Alliance, defeated the dark ruler, and sealing his heart away and rendering him powerless and formless, lest the heart be reunited with its owner.

For in Xordek’s black heart was fused an item of terrible greed, corruption, and murderous lusts. It was his “treasure” found beneath Myrignor, united to him by unholy sorcery – the Red Ring of Destruction itself. Taking the powers he found in Myrignor’s depths he formed the ring from its remnants and joined himself to it, unaware of the defeat that was soon to follow.

The years that followed saw Myrignor in peace and fertility, but the land was never the same again. But long has been stirring in its shadows those who were faithful to the evil one, those who seek to release him from the fires of damnation and wreak death upon the land once more, unless there were those willing to oppose him.

Gaming has evolved in such a way nowadays that when a person mentions the words “video” and “game”, we no longer limit our thinking to simple side-scrolling plumbers running across a field or a yellow pizza chasing what I once thought were gelatin monsters inside a maze – gaming is now as diverse as the cosplayers one can find at Comic-Con. Though despite the several genres the gaming industry has to offer, there are some who still refuse to see the bigger picture, and for some unknown reason stay where they are, gaming-wise.

Before we go any further, this write-up is NOT meant in any way to discriminate, judge, criticize, degrade, provoke, pronounce hate or insinuate any unwanted negativity whatsoever. I am writing this merely as a topic of discussion and observation. Feel free to tell me if I cross any boundaries, though.

The town where I live has computer cafes almost everywhere (common all over the Philippines), and some shops where one can play on a console for some hours, then pay afterwards. Now in effect, this is bound to attract gamers, and it has never failed as of late. I even saw a school kid on my way to work earlier running into a computer shop at SEVEN IN THE MORNING – yes, they (the shops) are that effective. However, I noticed one thing that is uniform among these often-young gamers nowadays here where I live.

For some strange reason, they prefer to play only a handful of games – almost everywhere, almost every time. Based on frequent trips to my favorite gaming store and occasional trips to internet cafes, here’s a simple visual estimate of what I see these kids play most of the time:

*Note: Since the ages of gamers are often mixed in these shops, the following revolves around a simple age estimate of 12-23 years old. Also, this is based on my personal observation – other written articles on this topic may vary in results.

COMPUTER CAFES:

Warcraft: Defense of the Ancients (extremely popular here) – around 50-70% most of the time

Some Online games/MMORPGs – 18 %

Browser games – 10 to 12 %

Counter Strike – 25 %

RENT-A-CONSOLE SHOPS (mostly PS2s and PS3s):

Tekken titles – 50-65 % (almost the same as DotA)

Naruto fighting games – 20 %

NBA games – 20%

Other genres – 10-15 %

Estimates aside, there are fairly understandable reasons for playing in these shops and/or these games. Now with the Philippines being a third-world country and all, not everyone can afford to buy a PC or console, hence people go to shops instead to play games, which is a cheaper alternative (console shops allow you to save your progress if you’re playing a long game). Although some that can afford other systems like handhelds also have a rather limited library – almost all the people I’ve seen here in public with a PSP are playing either Tekken or NBA only. What puzzles me at times is why can’t these kids try other titles? I am not saying that the titles I mentioned above are bad games, but surely there are better ones out there. In response to this, though, here are some reasons which may be a big factor in this issue:

*Most who play in these shops are students – School day has just ended, so what better time to play with all your friends than right now? “DotA and Tekken multiplayer action for everyone!”

*PCs in the shop only have so many games installed in them, but only a few worth playing – you pay to play, so your money should go to a game you’ll enjoy for the time being.

*Most of these kids are not really in it for the story – “Screw RPGs, screw action-adventure titles, I just want to mash some buttons and beat my friends”. Older gamers are the ones usually playing story-oriented titles.

*Reading text in a game is boring for them – I’ve seen many a player press “X” over and over again just to skip in-game dialogue and cut-scenes. Like my friend, who never really cared for the dialogue in FFVII – needless to say, he had no idea where to go when he got out of Midgar.

*Gambling and bragging rights – “A hundred pesos (national currency) says I can beat you all just using Razor (DotA) or a knife (counter strike)”.

*The usual “this game is popular because it’s Tekken/Naruto/NBA/good graphics” – this applies a great deal as well to the ones with handhelds.

Despite all this, there have been some changes lately, albeit small. “Arkadia”, a local game and rent-a-console store that I visit has recently changed all their PS2 units to PS3s, so I was quite surprised when I saw less Tekken and NBA and more Resistance, MGS, Uncharted, Dante’s Inferno, DMC and more. The sight of gamers watching Old Snake’s final moments unfold or guiding Nathan Drake through a jungle was something that made me smile.

Still, my point is that a number of gamers here where I live and elsewhere in my country (usually them young ‘uns) have little or no knowledge at all about the wider horizon of the gaming world other than the little icons on the PCs they’re playing on, which is a bit of a shame, since they enjoy playing a lot from what I’ve seen – all that energy could have been spent on a broader range of titles out there. As I also said earlier, the graphics factor also plays a big part in the mindset of a number of Philippine gamers, which for example results in lesser Nintendo handhelds and more PSPs with sub-par titles – don’t get me wrong, the PSP has a lot of great games – although some PSP owners here don’t have much of an idea of what those great games are. Know that I am not hating or judging them for it – after all, they’re the ones playing, and it is still their preference.

I know that this is just a rough estimate based on my observation. There are friends I have who realize that graphics aren’t everything, friends who still enjoy the Dreamcast, N64, Professor Layton and the Elder Scrolls, to name a few. I have to say I appreciate their being “adventurous” in trying out other gaming experiences.

I’m not declaring that we should stop playing the games we enjoy because of a lack of diversity – we play games because we enjoy them. Nor do I pronounce hate on the demographic of gamers that I mentioned. But in writing this, I cannot stop thinking that gamers not only here but elsewhere in the world have an opportunity to try out other genres, other titles and other adventures – these games are all around us, waiting for many to notice them. But since I am only here to write and discuss – not to force – the choice is still in their hands. We can only wait and see.

Action games have been around for a long time now. Ever since the days when gaming was in its simple form, the action genre has enthralled many gamers when it first arrived on the scene, offering a wide variety as shown by the side-scrolling shooters of old to the three-dimensional adventure games of today. Throughout the years, there have been a lot of titles which are often classified by many under the action genre – you have shooters like Mega Man, Metroid, Contra and Metal Slug, stealth titles like Metal Gear Solid, Splinter Cell and Assassin’s Creed and adrenaline-pumping games like God of War and Devil May Cry. Though individually different, they are action games nonetheless.

What keeps us coming back to play these games? Is it the thrill of taking enemies down one by one? Is it the empowering feeling we get when we slash down enemies with blades and lightsabers? Exploring treacherous lands, or is it simply the sense of achievement we get from ridding the screen of multiple foes? Or perhaps all of these put together?

Personally, I enjoy different game genres. RPGs, Strategy, a bit of fighting and racing and of course, action games are some simple pleasures that a lot of us would agree are timeless in their own way. Action games in particular, however, have their own flair that makes them what they are. Take a look at the Metroid and Mega Man games. Besides the platform and shooting elements, the games also have interesting storylines that have hooked many a player over the years – as well as an ambience that delivers an experience unlike any other.

Another quality of action games I find interesting in particular (and I know many else do, too) are the characters in the game. Every time we pop in the disc or cartridge and boot up our consoles, we have an opportunity to step into someone else’s shoes (albeit fictional shoes) and travel through a world far from our own. During the journey we make, we learn the story of the character we control – their lives, their missions, so on and so forth. In short, we become the character; we now are one with them, their weapons are our weapons, their actions are our actions and their goals are our goals. I for one enjoy stepping into the shoes of a terribly angry Spartan god, an NSA secret agent or a Z-Saber-wielding reploid and striking down those that oppose me in my path – and I enjoy it a lot. On a side note, as violent as some action games may seem, I don’t really let the killing and slashing get into my head.

All in all, there is a wide, wide world of adventure to be found in the different action titles in the gaming industry today. All that one has to do is look around to see and experience what these titles have to offer firsthand. Having said all this, it is pretty exciting to see future titles in the genre unfold before our eyes, fulfilling the action-satisfaction we get from these games – in the process ensuring that gamers all over have more variety in their game libraries to enjoy time and time again.

It’s virtually difficult to tell exactly how many gamers across the globe have been influenced by the various genres of video games. Platformers, puzzle games, action games, shooters and sports games are common gamer fodder which are heard about relatively often, and have certainly shaped up the generation we have today. But among these different styles of video games, one genre in particular has remained a constant favorite among many of us who enjoy games: The RPG, or role-playing game.

RPGs have, in a sense, greatly offered a valid and worthy alternative for gamers looking for fantasy, magic and a different style of gameplay. The aspect of creating your own characters, leveling up, making a cross-country journey across a dying land and sometimes having other characters join you is definitely a treat for anyone looking for a good gaming experience. And though there have been many different titles in the genre, a certain aspect I’ve come to observe is the interesting difference between eastern and western RPGs. And although I will be discussing the two, this article isn’t intended as a full-blown analysis, just a simple write-up of sorts regarding the topic (feel free to correct me if I get anything wrong).

When it comes to RPGs from the east, or most notably J-RPGs, I think that what usually sets them apart from other contenders in the RPG business is the majority of turn-based titles – yes, there are other J-RPGs with different gameplay styles, but the turn-based system seems to be the trend in a lot of RPGs from the east ever since the early days of the gaming industry. So far, these games have worked out well – you have the likes of Final Fantasy, Golden Sun and Pokémon, to name a few. Besides the turn based battle system, game mechanics such as the ever-so-popular random battle are a common staple in the structure of J-RPGs. Even for non turn-based RPGs, random battles are still a common factor in the game, as observed in Final Fantasy’s Crisis Core for the PSP.

Apart from the already-apparent game mechanics, another thing worth noting about J-RPGs is the often-utilized anime art style. Sure, there are a few games that look different, but in general, this is what we’ve come to associate with role-playing games from the far-east. Take a look at titles like Persona, the “Tales” series and Brave Story among others, and immediately you’ll see the Japanese anime influence in the games themselves. Though spiky hair and big eyes may not appeal to everyone, I can say that I dig the style.

On the other hand, western RPGs breathe life into a whole different world of role-playing. Whilst still taking cues from fantasy beyond the limits of our known reality, the mythical worlds western RPGs usually take place in are similar in both locale and inhabitants to the ones found in the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien – orcs, elves and all. And instead of the often-young teenager heroes of J-RPGs, western RPGs often star battle-hardened warriors of old – and most likely you’ll be given the option to create your own character – stats, skills, costume and all.

As with their eastern counterparts, these sorts of games also employ a leveling system. Though gameplay maybe somewhat similar in terms of finding hidden items, earning money and equipping stuff, there are but a very few western RPGs that make use of a turn-based battle system, or a random encounter style for that matter. In their own way, it is their very traits that set western role-playing games apart from the rest of the RPG hoi-polloi. As much as they are different in many ways from J-RPGs, I am one of the many that enjoy them nonetheless.

I am aware that most of you guys already know the facts I’ve written (or typed) down here, but I just wanted to do a little reflection on the two sides of a major genre in the industry. I am certain that role-playing games, whether they be from the east or west, are here to stay and keep us company for the rest of our gaming adventures, and that we, in turn, will continue to keep them alive through the years.

Before we get started, I would like to respectfully and sincerely thank my blog colleague and fellow My IGNer MajesticMaverick, the brains behind this blog collaboration. Without him, this topic discussion would not be possible – this is the first in a series of collaboration blogs we will be doing here on My IGN.

With the amount of games being remade in 3D or HD nowadays, it’s not uncommon for us gamers to dream of our own remakes of the games we have enjoyed and will continue to enjoy, regardless of the amount of hours we’ve spent playing those games. Whether we admit it or not, there are certain titles which never loosen their grip upon us, beckoning us every now and then to pick up the controller or handheld and play all day long.

This article is an exploration of rebirth; the titles mentioned here may not be for everyone, but have certainly earned a spot in MajesticMaverick’s list and my own list of games that we’d like to see remade for the current or possibly future generations of the gaming industry. Though some of you guys may disagree, we respect your opinions.

Without further ado, here are our top picks of games to be remade – Both Majestic and I have agreed that the games listed won’t be console-specific, that is to say, any game from any console is valid. Here are our choices.

MajesticMaverick’s top titles:

TimeSplitters 2 (PS2, Xbox, GCN) – One of my favourite games ever, it was one of the best titles on the PS2 in my opinion. The single player was wacky and hilarious, and I loved travelling through time for different missions – it helped keep the game fresh, and the gameplay was superb. But the multiplayer was only the icing on the cake. The variety of characters was massive, and the game modes different and unique. My personal favourite was “Virus”, very much like “Manhunt”, in which you played to the death before becoming infected. It’s one of my top gaming memories.

Tomb Raider 2 (PS1, PC) – Our lovable heroine was back, and with a bang. Probably her best adventure to date, Lara Croft traversed the world again, with some memorable boss fights and gritty action. The Tomb Raider games haven’t been the same since, and here’s a fan hoping for a return to the glory days with a possible prequel out next year. And for any Uncharted fans, remember that there would be no Nathan Drake were it not for Lara Croft.

Pokémon Silver/Gold (GBC) – My first Pokémon game, I actually got this before my Gameboy Colour, so I had no platform to play on. Still, once I finally got around to it, it was simply amazing. I loved the different Pokémon and some of the gyms were simple plain evil. My favourite part was going to the original region that Yellow, Blue and Red were set. One of the greatest handheld games ever, in my opinion. Though there were DS remakes, I think it would still be great if Nintendo updated these games again.

Final Fantasy XII (PS2) – I was too young to play the earlier Final Fantasy’s, but this, my first one, simply blew me away. The plot was excellent, not just for a game of that era, but for a game in the purest sense of the word. The cutscenes were fabulously detailed and beautiful, and the in-game world was rich with imagination and vibrant colour. It was slightly lacking in the gameplay department, but the graphics were astounding for a game on the PS2. They’d put some modern games to shame.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (PS2, Xbox, GCN, GBA) – The best Prince of Persia, and perhaps one of the best adventure games ever, Sands of Time was a joy to play. The combat was deliciously addictive, the monsters original and the free running laid the platform for games such as Assassin’s Creed. The plot was great, but you didn’t play it for that. I loved the game mechanics, such as using the Dagger to rewind time. An all-time favourite.

RageoftheMike’s catalogue:

Warioland 4 (GBA) – I honestly thought that I wouldn’t be playing this game much when I borrowed my cousin’s copy, but boy was I wrong. The game’s mechanics and visuals had the gift of simple elegance, and despite being a handheld title, the game’s wacky atmosphere and platforming elements make for a fun adventure one ought to try out. A perfect fit for a 3DS remake, at least for me.

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (GBA) – Soma Cruz was introduced to gamers in this amazing title, along with various elements for gameplay, most notably the collection of souls from vanquished foes. The graphics were a significant upgrade over the previous GBA Castlevania titles, and the music delivered a perfectly-harmonized aura. The story was also engaging, resulting in a DS sequel. A 3DS remake is, I believe, a bit of a necessity.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PS1, DC) – I’ve mentioned this game in some previous blog posts, and I maintain that this title (though highly underrated) is a very good game. I haven’t beaten it yet, but I still keep coming back for more, simply because I find the game to be very addictive. Though I’m not saying that this is a perfect title, I still think it deserves a remake, nonetheless. Atmosphere, decent graphics, gameplay, story – the game had it all, including a way-cool lead character, Raziel.

Medal of Honor: Underground (PS1) – This title had me both grinding my teeth in frustration, and at times patting myself on the back for a mission well done. Manon Batiste’s romps through occupied France were some adrenaline-pumping missions I won’t ever forget. Despite being “simple” compared to today’s FPS shooters, the game can still hold its own – a nice candidate for a remake. Tight controls and excellent storytelling make this game a worthy contender for an update.

And there you have it, guys. These are just some of the many titles that MajesticMaverick and I would like to see be revived on today’s gaming generation. Who knows? Some might make it to live on another platform in the future – after all, all of us are allowed to dream, aren’t we? With that said, we know that you guys have your own remake wish lists as well, so feel free to get it on in the comments! Thank you!